The Real Cost of Living in Britain

treliac

MRSTITTLEMOUSE wrote: »

True but they're also going to have to take a hit and learn to live with a very reduced standard of living to enable themselves to clear their committments.
We all personally need to take responsibility for our own situations we have placed ourselves in.

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

It's the aspiration which has got so very many into the trouble they're currently in, not necessarily the lack of disposable income. It's sad and very regretable but if the money wasn't there then it should never have been spent in the first place. To believe that you're "entitled" to a certain lifestyle when your income doesn't justify it is plain madness.

Absolutely! I know too many who are in debt up to their eyeballs and have juggled borrowings and mewed (of course house prices only go up) to fund the lifestyle they thought they were worth.

How are they going to adjust to reality? Are they really going to clear their own commitments? Or is a lot of debt going to be written off / paid by all of us in the form of higher charges?

A._Badger

treliac wrote: »

Absolutely! I know too many who are in debt up to their eyeballs and have juggled borrowings and mewed (of course house prices only go up) to fund the lifestyle they thought they were worth.

How are they going to adjust to reality? Are they really going to clear their own commitments? Or is a lot of debt going to be written off / paid by all of us in the form of higher charges?

You are quite right. But here's the rub: when governments let banks off the hook, what becomes of the idea of moral hazard?

If a fool runs a bank into the ground and gets way with his foolishness (Royal Bank of) scot-free, what sort of treatment does Mr or Ms spendthrift expect when they do the same?

StevieJ

That article is the adult version of Alice in Wonderland

'It would be so nice if something made sense for a change'.

PasturesNew

Aspirational lifestyle tosh....

Loughton_Monkey

Less than 10% of the British population can afford to live an average lifestyle

Leaving aside the extremely poor English [Should be Fewer than....], what about the mathematics?

Surely "50% of the British Population live a less than average lifestyle. The other 50% live a more than average lifestyle"

The education and intelligence standards in Britain are reaching new lows.

amcluesent

>a family of four actually needs to lead an average lifestyle.<

Crimbo lunch doable for £21 though, peeps just need to get used to scrimping and cooking, not belling Dominos - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2841538

tomterm8

Loughton_Monkey wrote: »

Leaving aside the extremely poor English [Should be Fewer than....], what about the mathematics?

Surely "50% of the British Population live a less than average lifestyle. The other 50% live a more than average lifestyle"

The education and intelligence standards in Britain are reaching new lows.

Your grammar is impeccable, I am afraid I disagree with your mathematics, it is highly likely that disposable income is not a normal distribution mathematically speaking, and so there is no reason to believe that the population is equally split between people with more than the average disposable income, and those who have less.

drc

This article is a load of rubbish.

Firstly, it is not essential to;

a) own a dog
b) have a Sky tv package
c) have a chippy at the end of each week at £20 per pop.

and not having these doesn't say anything about not being able to afford the "average" lifestyle in the UK.

Secondly, as far as I know, it is relatively easy to go bankrupt in this country and after one year you are free to start again. So, the scary term "bankruptcy" doesn't have quite the connotations that it used to have (and its certainly no longer seen as shameful to go bankrupt).

I think that there are so many things wrong with society as a whole these days, most of which can be attributed to peoples attitudes. People have become used to the idea of "entitlement" and "because I am worth it". There is also the whole element of envy that if someone has something that you do not, that you should be entitled to it (even if the other person has worked hard for it and you haven't). The link between hard work, achievement and success has been broken. All must have prizes.

Loughton_Monkey

Reading this article in full again, I cannot find an ounce of sympathy here.

It is written by a bankrupt, and it is very easy to see that she has neither the brains nor the intelligence to 'cut it' in a middle class world.

* She refers to "Mr & Mrs Average need to spend to bring up a family of four....". Does she not understand that Mr & Mrs Average do not have a family of four? But then she goes on to analyse the cost of only two children.

* She includes Interest on Credit Card Debt/HP. In other words, she is simply assuming that any average John Doe is expected to earn 100 units, spend 105, put the balance into debt, so that next year you earn 100 units, and spend 107 including interest etc... If she thinks this is normal expenditure, or 'need' then she deserved to go bankrupt.

* Spends more on public transport than the car? A assume she keeps the dog and barks herself!

* House Maintenance £96 a year. Place must be a sh*thole

* She thinks £159 a week childcare for 47 weeks is £7,144. It's £7,473. We therefore cannot trust any of her figures.

* She thinks Pension Contributions and savings are "Luxuries" along with loads of other 'expenses'. Savings are not 'expenses'. Savings are not Luxuries. Savings are simply the difference between income and outgoings.

* Just an ounce of attention to budgeting would inform this woman of endless scope to live within her means. Dump Sky. Dump Fish & Chips. Dump the "Romantic" meal (discussing their debts over the Merlot?). Save 10% on groceries. Dump the holiday. Dump the Gym membership. That's £125 79 (£6,500+ a year) for a start!

May the Lord save us from idiots!

PasturesNew

Does it really cost £20 for fish/chips for a family of 4? For starters you'd never ask for 4 bags of chips, you'd get "a large portion of chips" and share it.

Personally I'd cry if I had to spend £20 on that when I could have (laziest scenario) picked up a big bag of good frozen chips at the supermarket for £1 and a box of 4 good looking fish in batter for probably £4-6, then popped to the peas aisle for a couple of top brand mushy peas (40p/can = 80p). Thus saving at least £12.